


Shingeki no Kyojin's Gorey Demise

by theparanoidwriter



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Beaches, Character Death, Drowning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-26
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-01-13 21:19:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1241122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theparanoidwriter/pseuds/theparanoidwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a collection of drabbles to go along with Creature feature's song "A Gorey Demise" but with the SnK characters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A is for Annie who Drowned in the Pool

**Author's Note:**

> This is everyreasonwhyposts off of tumblr, btw. I'm not stealing, this is my own work.

She had promised to make it back home. A promise she had every intent to keep, but things had fallen out of her control. While she was encased in the crystal, the others had managed to defeat the rest of the titans. Humanity was free, and the remaining 104th members went to visit the ocean.  
As she emerged from the crystal, salt assaulted her nose and ocean water sprayed her. She glanced around, expecting something or someone to come crashing out and ruin the moment.  
Armin was exploring the life in the tide pools while Eren and Mikasa were building with the sand. Ymir groaned but followed Christa as she marveled over the sea shells. Connie and Sasha were digging into the food already, making goofy faces. For once, Bertholdt wasn’t sweating, and as Reiner dunked him into the water further down the beach, he seemed perfectly in place.  
A smile spread across her face as she watched everybody happy; they deserved this. She made her way up a small cliff, taking it all in and imprinting it into her memory.  
She glanced in Armin’s direction, waving. He waved back with a smile, then motioned for her to join him. She heeded it, turning on her heel, running straight into Jean.  
He caught her square in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her over the edge. She hit the surface with a splash.  
"That’s for Marco."  
Marco? That’s right, Jean…  
She was going to set him straight when she surfaced - but she couldn’t. When she moved to right herself, she hit something hard that left everything a blurred mess.  
I was wrong.  
Her mind flashed back to that moment. Her father kneeled before her, hands on her shoulders.  
It’s too late to ask your forgiveness. But…there’s one thing I want to ask of you.  
Above the surface, Annie could make out the faint sounds of somebody shouting.  
You can make the whole world your enemy.. Even if the whole world hates you, your dad is the only one who is on your side!  
Splash. Somebody dove in after her. She  
He embraced her as he choked out, “Promise me that you will return.  
She saw a glimpse of yellow. Armin. She was still a good person to him. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be a good person for her father.  
I’m sorry I couldn’t….  
The edges of her vision swirled in darkness.  
Couldn’t keep my promise.


	2. B is for Berner who was Eaten by Ghouls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There will be some Titan eating human action in here, so be alert!

“Be careful, Squad Leader!” “Squad Leader!” “Wait, Squad Leader!”  
Moblit Berner couldn’t even begin to count how many times he’d said that in all the time that he had known Hanji Zoe. She was a wild one and always so reckless, eager for knowledge. It was that very same thirst that left them racing out into the woods, urging their horses to the brink of exhaustion until they breached the trees.  
She switched to 3D manuever gear and shot through the trees, leaving Moblit to tie up their horses as he shouted, “Squad Leader, wait!” Not that she’d hear him anyway. He sighed and tied them up knowing full well that the titans would leave them alone and followed shortly after her.  
Even amidst the trees, he was aware of her location because of her constant excitement.  
Hanji hadn’t specified her plans, only rushed out to pursue them, but Moblit couldn’t see any titans anywhere. Did she have something else in mind then?  
The trees thinned enough that he could make out her form moving through the trees, her trademark grin spread across her face. Zipping and mouthing something that he couldn’t quite make out. Mouthing something before she shot forward, right into…  
“Squad Leader, look out!”  
Moblit couldn’t move fast enough the moment he saw the titan’s face emerge from the trees right in front of Hanji. He ate through his gas supply, frantically trying to get to her when she manuevered out of its grasp, yahoo’ing all the while. Relief flooded him as his best friend was out of harm’s way.  
And he ended up in it. A second titan emerged from nowhere, plucking him from the air. His breath dispelled as its grip tightened on him. He struggled to escape, but it left no room for movement. Hanji wasn’t far away but he wouldn’t put her in danger.  
This is so exhilarating!  
Hanji Zoe looked over her shoulder and commented on the fun she was having when, to her dismay, she found Moblit trapped in a second titan’s hand.  
“Moblit!”  
His head shot up at her voice. No, she wasn’t supposed to be coming back. He’d figure this out, himself.  
“Squad Leader, it isn’t safe!”  
Hanji grit her teeth. Isn’t safe? Nothing in their world was safe. Determination clouded her face as she came full force, only to be snatched by another titan.  
Moblit’s eyes widened. Why couldn’t she be careful, for once? He fought against the titan’s grip once more as it shoved him into his mouth. It stopped just along his waist as he scrabbled to be free.  
“Squad Lead-”  
Hanji cut the titan before her down, turning to watch as Moblit Berner, her best friend, became titan food, the blood hitting her like cherry blossoms.


	3. C is for Charles(Hannes) with Disease of the Brain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Alcohol, loss of memory (due to said alcohol), death

“He’s down the hall to your left.”  
Armin nodded and thanked the clerk, leading his friends. Eren and Mikasa were silent as they followed the lady’s directions.  
Hannes sat propped up in a chair, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. He didn’t spare a glance when they entered the room. There was a man with few enough white hairs that they could count on one hand. He was rambling away at the television, snatches of “In my day” catching at their ears. Something foul assaulted their noses and given their location they figured it was Hannes’ roommate.  
They took it all in then Eren outburst, “Why is he even here?!”  
Two hands clutched his shoulders.  
“Eren.”  
“He-”  
“He doesn’t have much time. Let’s just enjoy what time we can, Eren.”  
The small voice silenced the trio of friends as they remembered the notice they received earlier.  
“All that alcohol has ravaged Hannes’ mind. The doctors have done all that they can, so they released him into a nursing home.”  
They knew he was drunk often but could it have lead to the deterioration of his brain?  
“Hey nurse, can you help me with this damned tie?”  
Hannes’ voice. Their questions were answered when they found he had changed his focus to a nearby chair. There wasn’t a tie anywhere in the room, but his tone insisted that there was. Facing them, the reality of the situation only heightened at the dazed look in his eyes. He was there, but he wasn’t THERE.  
Still, Armin tried first. “Hannes?” He walked over, crouching into a squat.  
“Do you remember me?”  
“Oi, nurse. Here ya go!”  
The chair collided with Armin’s forehead, but he waited then resigned, telling Hannes he’d gladly take care of it.  
Eren shook his head an stormed over.  
“Eren!”  
“I’ve got this, Mikasa!”  
Eren met Hannes’ gaze, seized his shoulders and shouted, “You fucking drunk! Do you remember me? I’m Eren Jaeger.”  
Hannes’ roommate mumbled on, bridging the silence as the teens’ eyes focused on the man. The cloud in his eyes lifted if for a moment.  
“….Jaeger?”  
A smile.  
Recognition?  
Left hand up, reaching over.  
A hug?  
Eren leaned into the embrace then scowled when that hand slapped his shoulder.  
“A drink sounds great about now, “ Hannes laughed.  
Mikasa and Armin exchanged looks, confirmed with a nod and joined Eren. Their friend didn’t shout, but determination raged across his face.  
To some, Hannes might not be anything, but to them he was a piece of home. One of the few pieces they had left. Friend and family, but when his time came, he wouldn’t remember them.  
“There has to be a way to-”  
“He’s lasted longer than the doctors gave him.”  
Eren’s grip loosened on Hannes’ shoulders as he whispered, “I know.”  
They enjoyed the time they had,playing along with Hannes’ delusions, laughing in spite of everything. As visiting hours came to a draw they held him tight and said their goodbyes, promising to return tomorrow.  
They kept their promise, bundled in layers to fight the winter chill, arriving as visiting hours started. The clerk recognized them, a frown on her face. A chill far worse than that of the wind ran down their spines with her words.  
He passed last night. I’m sorry. His last words were about great company.


	4. D is for Daz who was Derailed by the Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide, train incidents, death

A bell rang in the background, they’d been ringing for some time now as trains pulled in and out of the depot.  
The 104th lounged about, waiting for the train that would send them off to the battle front. Sasha paused to buy some snacks, dragging Connie along to help carry it all. Jean sat at a bench, legs crossed, raining hatred on anybody that caught his gaze. Marco stood, taking in the cool air and keeping a level head.  
They weren’t supposed to be heading out just yet, and if not for the dire need of soldiers, a few of them would have been safe in the military police. Survival rates weren’t worth repeating; they all knew the chaos that awaited them. Who knew how many of them would return? If any did at all.  
Marco calmed himself with breathing exercises when boots scuffed the floor and voices floated to his ears.  
“Daz, you’re being-”  
“I’ve had it! I won’t die like that! I’ll end my life on my own terms!”  
Daz bolted for the train tracks as everybody stood, jaws dropped, eyes widened. Marco rushed over to him, arms up and over, and restrained him.  
“Let me go! You know what happens out there! We aren’t going to make it back!”  
He lashed in Marco’s grip, but remained prisoner.  
Marco inclined his head. “Sasha is getting food. She’s calm. You just need to relax. It’ll all be fine.”  
Daz shook his head. What kind of dumbass did he take him for? They were top ten – Sasha, Connie, Jean, Marco…but he knew that the only one who might stand a chance was Mikasa. Even that was questionable. No, they would all suffer and fall victim to this hopeless cause.  
He wouldn’t be defeated by the likes of them. No. Hedrew blood from Marco’s hand which bought him enough time to escape his grip. Marco only stopped a moment, but it was enough time. Daz reached the edge of the station and dropped onto the rails.  
“Daz!”  
Marco watched him leap off, two seconds too late as the train rumbled by, blood and brain matter splatting on his face. The train rumbled on a bit further and as the last car passed, the crowds of trainees could see the gorey mess.  
(This one’s really lame. And short. I know. I know. But :p This was the inspiration I got for this story so I am rolling with it!)


	5. E is for Eren who was Buried Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uhmmm, not sure how to explain...  
> TRIGGER WARNING: Death, Earthquake induced death(by crushing?)

It had been only a few days since the court trial. It was decided that Levi would be responsible for him and providing discipline where necessary.  
Eren held no grudges against him for his public beating (though he couldn’t say the same for Mikasa); he understood it was necessary. What boggled his mind though was the captain’s desire to eliminate every speck of dust.  
From dusk until dawn, he was on his knees scrubbing until his skin chaffed and breezes stung his raw flesh. He resigned to his quarters in the basement where darkness surrounded him. Upstairs rustled as the others went through their nightly routines. Eren closed his eyes and listened to steps padding and doors closing then as the last bed spring creaked, a voice slipped down.  
“Good night Eren.”  
Good ol’ Petra.  
“Good night, Petra.”  
He rolled onto his side and let his weary bones rest.  
Eren and Mikasa pounded on the cobblestone, rushing to beat the lights.  
Be home before the lights go out or you’re in trouble.  
He’d had so much fun looking at Armin’s book, they all had, and they’d lost track of time. Now they sprinted as light after light shut off, spurting with each one. Just a bit further. Up this street and around the corner and they’d be home.  
The last one went out. Eren groaned as they turned the corner.  
She’ll let us go, we barely missed it. The lights have only been out a minute.  
He went up the steps and realized that the street lights weren’t the only ones that were off. He jiggled the doorknob, relieved to find that it wasn’t locked.  
“Mom, we’re home!”  
No answer.  
“Mom?”  
Nothing.  
Mikasa followed Eren, unable to shake the feeling that something more than simple punishment was happening.  
“Eren -”  
Wood splintered and broke the silence. Mikasa shoved Eren as the roof fell.  
“What was that?”  
Eren bent over the pile and his face blanched.  
“Eren, what is it?”  
In with the debris were the remnants of his mother and father. Not much, but enough to identify. Eren dropped to his knees, eager to salvage what he could. His hands tore through, ignoring the splinters.  
I’ll find who did this. I just-  
“Eren!”  
For the second time, he hit the ground hard as more of the roof caved in, Mikasa’s leg smashed under it. He leaped up and tugged at the pile; it was heavier than it looked though you could never tell from Mikasa.  
Worry was written all over her face. She had to protect Eren, but her foot was stuck. She tugged as Eren did then froze.  
“Eren! Move!”  
“Not without you!”  
Idiot.  
She shoved him at the opposite wall and hoped he would have enough sense to go before the rest of the house collapsed.  
“Mikasa!”  
Eren jolted then cringed as his friend was buried alive. Pieces hit her shoulder and he felt similar pain in his. Her hand and his.  
“Eren! Eren!”  
The voice wasn’t Mikasa’s anymore, but Petra’s.  
Petra? What was…?  
In the middle of the night, violent tremors had shaken the building. Glass shattered as their headquarters fell apart. Levi, Petra, and the others shouted warnings and plans to leave the building while Eren remained in the basement as the floor was collapsing.  
Stone slammed down onto Eren’s shoulder as he woke to the destruction. He jerked his arm to free himself just as another block smashed his hand.  
“Eren! Hold on!”  
Petra raced through the falling debris before Levi stopped her.  
“Heichou, Eren-”  
“I’ll handle it.”  
“But-”  
Levi said something that convinced Petra whose voice trailed off as she joined the others. They gathered several meters away and awaited their captain’s return.  
Eren heard Petra leave as he squirmed under the weight of the stone. He couldn’t even reach his other hand. The stones cut into his back, bit into his leg, and crushed his lungs. He couldn’t go down like this; he wouldn’t. He wasn’t finished. He had to kill all the titans. Those damn creatures that stole his mom from him.  
His mom. Everything flashed back to that instant – tossed over Hannes’ shoulder, unable to turn around and forced to watch the titan snatch his mother from the debris and make a snack of her.  
Now it was his turn. He fought and struggled underneath the stone as Levi’s face wavered in his vision a moment. The look on Levi’s face he knew all too well. The usually stoic captain looked on in horror and rage much as he had. Then it all went away as the floor all gave in at that moment. Eren extended his hand, much like his mother had, tears pricking his eyes.  
“Hei…chou.”  
His hand fell limp, quickly lost under the falling debris.


	6. F is for Franz who was Stabbed in the Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGEGR WARNINGS: Death, stabbing 
> 
> I think that's it...

Franz took Hannah’s hands in his own and reassured her with his smile.  
“I won’t let anything harm you.”  
She crushed herself against him, smiling despite her tears, comfortable in his embrace.  
He stroked her hair and whispered into her ear that everything would be alright, holding her still as she melted into him.  
“Hey love birds! We’ve got a mission to finish.”  
They leaped away as if by a static shock, their faces flushed as they nodded and added their remarks.  
“R-right!”  
“P-please don’t say that!”  
The voice melted back into the background as they smiled at one another once more before heading out.  
Titans strolled through the streets, increasing in numbers with each passing moment. Lines zipped through the air as the trainees shot through the air, blades ready and poised to take down the titans. Hannah steeled herself, remembering her training, and assured herself that Franz was skilled and he would be fine as she traveled alongside her squad.  
Titan. 50 meters ahead.  
There was no denying the fear festering within Franz, but he held onto Hannah. They may fluster and deny it, but when it all came down to it, he loved her. He didn’t tell her before they left because it left him all the more reason to make it back to her and her hair orange like sunset.  
The first titan sprung up 10 meters ahead of them. Their squad leader issued the command and they all rocketed forward. It plucked their squad leader in mid-movement and everybody froze.  
He struggled for release, his left arm crushed in the titan’s grip, shouting as it placed him between its teeth.  
“Squad leader!”  
The titan managed to bite down on his abdomen, blood spurting before the others cut it down. Its body and their squad leader fell lifeless to the floor. Smoke rose from its quickly decomposing body and in their shock, hid from them the second titan.  
A scream rang out as one of the other trainees was snatched up, silenced only with the crunch of her skull that made their stomachs lurch. They’d known it would be dangerous, but never had they thought any of them would go. They were trained for this.  
Franz called out a warning as one of his squad mates rushed forward to take down the titan. He followed suit as a voice called behind him, “Franz, be-” He turned as the speaker’s line was jerked and her left hand involuntarily moved, the blade meeting his eye. The cold metal tore through the muscle and tendons, and found an anchor in his brain. He reached for the blade and tried to maneuver himself to safety, but his line missed and he hit the wall face first, jarring the weapon further into his skull.  
Red flooded his vision.  
Titan. 10 meters ahead.  
Somebody pierced the titan’s neck, zipping forward, blade drawn. On the right, two of them served as distraction and succeeded. The titan reached out for the humans in front of it and missed the one behind it as they sliced through the tender nape. It collapsed without a life lost, thankfully.  
Hannah smiled at their second successful take down. Franz was right. She would be fine. They would be fine. They’d make it through this. She kept alongside her squad mates as they zipped through the streets, ready to attack whenever another titan came into view. They’d gone several minutes without sight of one and she spared a glance downward where something reflected the sun’s rays.  
How odd.  
Following formation, she approached it as she zipped in the skies. It was metal, and around it, something fluttered in the wind, like clothing. They drew closer and she saw the Trainee Corps symbol on it, but it was different…  
Hannah landed on the ground in the same heartbeat that she recognized the small H at the edge.  
“Franz!” The wires and hooks returned as she dashed over and flipped the body, hand pressed to her mouth.  
Blood trailed down the wall and stopped at Franz who held one of their blades in his eyes. She slid the blade out and tore a section of her shirt off, wiping the mess around his eyes then laid him down on the floor. She pressed her ear to his chest.  
I’ll hear his heartbeat, same as always.  
Nothing met her ears. She tried his breathing. Nothing. His pulse. Nothing.  
“Franz! Don’t worry! I’ll revive you!”  
She put her hands together and pumped Franz’s chest several times and tried again. Still nothing.  
Pump. Pump. Pump.  
Nothing.  
He had to be alive! She’d help him. He’d spring up and she could chide him for worrying her.  
Pump. Pump.  
Tears clouded her vision as she kept trying, and when that failed, she resorted to CPR.  
His mouth was cold and uninviting and each passing second brought more chill to his skin.  
“Hannah?”  
“Armin?” she smiled despite her tears at the small boy. “Armin! I’m trying to revive Franz but he just won’t…”  
There wasn’t time for that right now. Hannah alternated between pumping Franz’ chest and CPR.  
“Hannah, stop doing that. It won’t…”  
Won’t what? Won’t do anything? It would. It has to!  
Armin’s words only egged her on, efforts multiplied to revive the man before her.  
“He’s…”  
Hannah was grateful he didn’t finish that sentence. The last thing she needed to hear was that Franz was dead. She wouldn’t accept it, she couldn’t accept it. Why would she accept a lie? Franz was there, he said he would be there. He would protect her.


	7. G is for Gunther who Died in the Womb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death, child loss, miscarriage

Levi sat on the edge of the sandbox, watching as all the other children laughed and played on the park equipment. They all were friends and went to school together, playing tag or hide-and-go-seek and the occasional game of cooties.  
He rolled his eyes at their antics, chasing one another around the lot. Nothing unusual there. His mother smiled and motioned for him to play with the others, a gesture he glared at. His mother was no use. Neither were the other moms who sat in a circle chattering. Still, he decided anything would be better than shouts of, “Circle, circle, dot, dot. Now I have the cootie shot!” and wandered over.  
Their conversation drew from a lady with a round belly. Levi stopped before them and interrupted their  
chatter.  
“You’re fat.”  
While the others gasped and scowled, the woman he addressed smiled.  
“It’s because I have a hidden treasure.”  
That didn’t sound half bad.  
“Come here hun,” she extended her hand and added, “I won’t bite. Promise,” when he didn’t move.  
Levi took a step forward, ignoring the other women.  
The lady took his hand and placed it on her belly.  
“The treasure’s in here.”  
What lame treasure was-?  
Something moved underneath Levi’s hand. He jumped back, eyes trained on her belly.  
The other women laughed but the lady, Mrs. Schultz (as one of them called her), extended her hand again.  
“I’m sorry, hun. I should have warned you. This is a special kind of treasure.”  
Levi ventured forward again; he must find out more about this treasure. He placed his palm on her belly and waited for movement. It rippled and he jumped slightly.  
It was amazing, whatever this treasure was.  
Mrs. Schultz laughed at the boy’s actions, she was glad to draw emotion out of him other than the contempt he harbored towards all the other children.  
“The treasure has a name, it’s Gunther.”  
“Gun-turr?”  
I will make Gunther mine.  
The treasure seemed to respond to his touch and he felt as if it was communicating a message to him. He fought to crack the code to answer back and almost had it when his mother called.  
“Levi, honey, it’s time to go.”  
He strived to ignore her, but she came up behind him.  
“I’m terribly sorry if my son was-”  
“Oh, not at all! He was a delight and he was enjoying himself. Weren’t you, hun?”  
Levi turned from her smile and scowled the whole way home until his mother promised they could go back next Saturday.  
The original plan had been to go the two times, but nobody had the heart to separate Levi from the child in Mrs. Schultz’ womb. Every Saturday, Levi’s mother brought him to the park and every Saturday, Levi talked to the baby, telling the treasure that he would claim it for his own as soon as he could.  
His mother smiled on, seeing the change in her son’s behavior, and the other mothers flocked to watch him in awe. Mrs. Schultz always invited Levi over and imagined days when her son would be born and old enough for the two to play. Images of play dates, of the two children running around and rambunctious to the point that somebody had to remind them to use their indoor voices, only for them to become louder in a few minutes. She could see Levi helping Gunther with his homework and see them playing ball, laughing and slapping one another on the back, calling names with laughter in their voices. Best friends growing up together, and standing up for one another.  
Gunther was her first successful pregnancy and things were looking bright. Tears built up as she recalled the nights of screaming and throwing things around then arms sliding around shoulders as they sobbed silently in the room. That knock on the door at midnight with the police officer waiting behind it to deliver the news that their child had been identified as a homicide victim. Children crashed and burned when it came to her. She just wanted one.  
Just give me one. Please.  
Something wet splashed onto Levi’s head. He looked up and found the source was Mrs. Schultz.  
“Why are you crying?”  
“I don’t want to lose my treasure.”  
She didn’t think before she said it, and immediately went to take it back.  
“I-”  
Levi hugged her belly tightly. “I won’t let that happen. I’ll protect Gunther.”  
Mrs. Schultz thought that over and images ran through her head again. A protector. When boys at school went to pick on him, Levi would arrive, cracking his knuckles, a stoic yet menacing expression. Given his behavior, she knew he would and could. Her baby would be safe. She motioned for him to sit on the bench beside her and held him tightly, tears changing from bitter to sweet.  
Levi didn’t understand what was going on, but he didn’t shove Mrs. Schultz away. He kept one hand on Gunther and whispered to him. “I will protect you.”  
The two stayed that way until it was time for Levi to go home. Next Saturday, he darted for the bench the moment his mother unbuckled him, only to find she wasn’t there. He tried the other benches but couldn’t find her.  
“Where? Where’s Gunther?”  
His mother’s hand rested on his shoulder.  
“Honey, I tried telling you before-”  
“I have to talk to Gunther!”  
“Levi-”  
“He doesn’t like to be alone.”  
She broke, dropping to her knees, and pressing him to her chest, sobbing.  
Levi stood stiff. What was going on? Where was Gunther?  
His mother fought her tears, pulling back, arms wrapped around his shoulders. Levi placed one small hand on her cheek.  
“Gunther’s gone, Levi. Mrs. Schultz fell down a flight of stairs and lost him.”  
“…Where did he go?”  
“Up above. He’s not with us anymore, honey. “


	8. H is for Hannah who was Sealed in a Tomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Necrophilia(kinda? or so i'm told), death, illness, decay

She didn’t know at what point Armin had left, but footsteps thundering in their direction reminded Hannah that danger still lurked. She brought Franz with her into a nearby building, and locked them in the basement where the titans couldn’t find them.  
The lock clicked and Hannah returned to Franz’s side, placing her hand beside him and smiling down at his form, his left eye shut and the right a hollowed mess. She ran her fingers along it and whispered in his ear, “Don’t worry. I don’t mind it.” She kissed it then sat down beside him.  
She was convinced now that he was just in some state of hibernation, or of shock from his injury. Given time, he would wake and hold her close to him and protect her, but until then she would protect him.  
His body brought back memories and images surged in her head.  
“It’s beautiful.”  
Hannah smiled at the view before her. Her father used to take her up onto the roof of their cottage in time to catch the sunset at its peak, oranges, reds, pinks, and yellows blending in harmony. He would point where the sun just barely peaked its head over the horizon and tell her that it was new. The sky had stolen the color after seeing her hair, determined to have the beauty for itself. Then he would hug her close and kiss her forehead good night.  
It might seem silly, but for Hannah, who was mocked by the other kids for her hair color, it meant the world. He knew so he repeated the story in hopes that she wouldn’t take their comments to heart. It was their own special tradition and their own private place away from everybody else.  
She teared up remembering those moments; her father had passed away just before she signed up. Today would have been his 40th birthday. She had to pay homage to him in the best way she could; that was why she was up here alone. Or so she thought.  
One of the other trainees stood a few feet away.  
Hannah turned back to the sunset and nodded.  
“It’s best at this time.”  
Rustling fabric told Hannah the man was beside her.  
“A little chilly though.”  
Hannah shrugged. “It’s worth it.”  
She hoped that he would leave, but he only scooted closer. He pointed into the sky.  
“That right there, by the sun, it reminds me of your hair.”  
She froze.  
“There’s a story behind everything,” the man changed his position to be more comfortable.  
“Did you know that there used to be no sunset at all? But then the sky looked down at the world and saw all these beautiful colors and grew jealous. It wanted to be beautiful, too, so it reached down and stole all the colors it loved and spread them on itself. It’s pretty stingy so everytime one of its colors springs up, it takes it back into the sky with it.”  
He caught her in his arms before she could react.  
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect you!”  
Hannah wasn’t sure what to say.  
Why was he doing this?  
He pulled back as a smile slid across his face.  
“I told you a story, now you tell me one. Why are you up here all alone?”  
That was why. Hannah stared at her hands and played idly with the edges of her shirt.  
He backed off immediately and extended his hand.  
“My name’s Franz.”  
“Hannah.”  
Franz smiled and scooted a little over, switching his gaze back to the sunset. Hannah saw the shivers he fought as he sat there. The idiot was going to catch a cold out here. She sighed as she decided that he might go inside if she told him why.  
“It’s my dad…it’s his 40th birthday. Or, well, it would have been.”  
“Did he-”  
She bit her lip; she wasn’t going to cry here. She promised him she wouldn’t, that she would be strong.  
“He died. Six months ago.”  
Intake of breath.  
She didn’t want or need his pity. He opened his mouth to speak and she was prepared to shoot him down with whatever crap consolation he had to give her.  
“I meant you.”  
“What?”  
Franz blushed. “Earlier. I meant you.”  
He kissed her on the forehead and whispered Good night.  
Hannah lost it; they both fell onto the floor as she threw herself into his arms and let the tears and words fly out. She told him about her nightly routine and her father’s death.  
After that night, Franz went with her to see the sunset every night, told her the story and kissed her forehead good night.  
Hannah watched the stray strands of sunlight from the cracks in the cellar door. Tonight, they would break tradition but it was just one night. Until Franz woke up.  
One night dragged into two, then three. A week. Two weeks passed and Hannah remained by Franz’s side. Franz’s body began to deteriorate and with nowhere for the smell and germs to go, they attacked Hannah, her immune system weakened from malnutrition. Her last few hours she spent by Franz’s side, holding his hand and hacking coughs into the nook of her elbow. She wheezed and her heart and lungs constricted within her, crushing every last bit of her.  
Hannah had already been broken internally, but the illness broke the rest of her. She kissed his brow then fell on the bed beside him.


	9. I is for Ian who Lost his Front Brakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death, alcohol mention, car accident

Ian stood by the punch bowl, drink in hand, and shook his head as Mitabi downed another shot. The room came alive with applause as he attempted a hand stand and managed five seconds before he crashed down.  
Laughter replaced the applause and one of the women started forward with another shot glass.  
The idiot didn’t realize that their laughter stemmed from his drunken stupor. Ian sighed before he ended their fun.  
"Alright, Mitabi, let’s get you home."  
“But I was hic! Just starin tag have some frun."  
Idiot that he was, Mitabi was his best friend and he was his responsibility. He led them outside to his car where Mitabi’s behavior changed so suddenly it could have given him whiplash.  
"Ian, let’s walk!"  
Panic rung out from his eyes though it could have just been the effects of the alcohol.  
12:35. Shit. Curfew was 5 minutes ago and Mitabi’s house was at least twenty minutes away.  
"Mitabi, I don’t have time for this."  
He opened the passenger side door.   
“Get in and let’s get you home.”  
Mitabi stumbled around to the driver’s side and fumbled with the handle.  
” What the fuck are you doing?”  
“You gotter lemme drive."  
“I’m not letting your drunk ass drive, Mitabi. Get in the passenger seat."  
Mitabi didn’t know what, but he had a gut wrenching feeling that told him not to let his friend get in the car or at least not to let him drive. All he knew was that some terrible shit was going to go down. He argued with his best friend for several minutes with no success. He sighed and slid into the passenger seat and hoped that his feeling would be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.  
The car roared to life.  
12:50. He spent 15 minutes arguing with Mitabi over something that was common sense. Whatever danger he sensed was probably brought on by the alcohol. The streets weren’t safe this late at night and of he let Mitabi drive they’d crash and neither of them would make it home alive.  
'The shit you put me through.'  
He decided to take the short cut home and turned the car to the right, headed towards the long hill.   
People heard his car before they saw it; it was old, so he rarely went this way because the hill wreaked havoc on his brakes. 12:53. He’d take the car in tomorrow morning because right now he had to get home or there wouldn’t BE a tomorrow morning.  
Mitabi relaxed into his seat and watched buildings pass by and families strolling with their children. Colors sprung out from the night sky, flowers attracting attention even at night.   
Laughter escaped him as he connected the dots and formed pictures that weren’t there and allowed his mind to create dirty images.  
Naked women, naked men, wangs, dildos, the whole enchilada.  
One of them formed a woman’s shape he knew all too well. Their rival school’s head cheerleader and girlfriend of the quarterback.  
Heh. He’d tap that any day. She deserved better than that scum bag. He remembered how hard she cried and her body shook when he asked her where the bruise on her cheek was from.  
Asshole thought it was cool to hit a woman. He showed him what was what though. He gave him a good whooping. Or he would’ve if the others hadn’t shown up.  
Ian eased as Mitabi relaxed. Good, one less thing to worry about, though he would have to face Mitabi’s mother. He may have driven him home, but he still let him get drunk.  
Ughhh.  
Well so long as he got home safe.  
He focused on the road as they reached the slope.  
If the others hadn’t shown up and…Mitabi jerked against his seat belt and reached for the steering wheel.  
"You have to stop the car!"  
"Mitabi, you can pee when I get you home."  
What did they slip in his drink? This was ridiculous for even drunken Mitabi ‘s actions. He swatted Mitabi ‘s hands away just as they started down the hill.  
He had to get Ian to stop the car! Images flashed in his head. The football team thought the car was Mitabi ‘s so they took out the brakes and tampered with the driver’s seatbelt.  
His pupils widened as he saw the downward slope.  
"Ian! Ian! Switch seats with me!"  
Why hadn’t he said anything?  
Mitabi fumbled with his seatbelt. If Ian wouldn’t stop the car, then he would take the blow. He just had to switch seats with him.  
What the fuck was going on with Mitabi? He played with his seatbelt as if it was a life or death matter.  
"Mitabi, would you-"  
The car frame rattled as the car picked up speed, racing down the hill. Ian pressed the brakes, or rather, where the brakes would have been.   
Shit.  
"Ian! Fucking switch seats with me!"  
Tears ran down Mitabi ‘s face. Why was he being so damn stubborn?  
"Mitabi, stay in your seat! The brakes are missing!"

He fiddled with the wheel and slammed his foot down again and again in hopes that it would miraculously stop the car.  
The car rattled down the hill and with its momentum, continued on until they rammed into a bank.  
Mitabi’s seatbelt bit into his shoulder and slammed his head on the dash but the whole time his eyes were trained on his friend as he catapulted through the windshield.  
The car broke through the brick and mortar and Ian flew, face first and skid across the tile floor. He rolled and stopped at the teller’s window.  
Silence met the incident before the teller screeched. Another one called for an ambulance.  
Something oozed and soaked his shirt and the area beneath the seatbelt stung like a bitch. Mitabi focused though on the trail of red leading up to Ian’s motionless body. That was a shit ton of blood…  
He struggled to get to Ian’s side but his body wouldn’t respond. He could only sit and watch. Sit and watch as people crowded and whispered around his best friend’s body. Sit and watch as the ambulance arrived. Sit and watch as they checked his body and shook their head.


	10. J is for Jean who was Bitten by Snakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death, snake bites  
> (I think that's all triggering content. )

The mission was a success, Eren managed to plug the hole in the wall. They had taken back Wall Maria; humanity had finally won a battle against the titans.  
A few titans straggled about but were taken down with minimal lives lost.  
He headed back to headquarters when a wail caught his attention. It was faint, but there nonetheless. Jean followed the sound to a hut and dropped to the ground. He walked in, hand placed to grab his blades.  
“Hello?”  
The wails came from the back room. He turned the corner, and coughed a storm at the dust that rose as he entered.  
There was no way somebody was in here with that much dust. The past few days are just playing tricks on your mind.  
But still…if there was life here….  
Jean cursed himself and approached the only furniture in the room, what appeared to be a crib.  
The baby’s cheeks were flushed and its eyelids fluttered at the man above it.  
A baby? Where were it’s-  
Oh.  
Behind the crib, two bodies sprawled on the floor. If not for the smell of decaying flesh, Jean would have assumed they were sleeping.  
Poor kid.  
He scooped the bundled form into his arms and headed out when something hit the floor.  
Thunk.  
The baby turned and reached for the rattle.  
“We got to-“  
He cringed. Damn kid.  
It yanked his hair until he turned back for it.  
He squatted and reached for the rattle. His fingers gripped around it then dropped it a second later.  
“Shit!”  
Blood drew from the two puncture wounds on his hand. He set the baby down a few feet away then approached the crib. He drew his blades then gave the crib a kick.  
The culprit hissed and coiled itself.  
A snake. Jean tried to remember what the colors for a poisonous snake were but couldn’t.  
It could have been what killed the child’s parents, but didn’t they only bite once? If that was the case then there were more somewhere.  
I don’t have time for this shit.  
Jean picked the baby up again and held it close on the trip to headquarters.  
One of the women took the child from him to feed it.  
Jean heaved a sigh of relief and sought a place to sit as things started to spin.  
He held his head in his hands. The area around the bite swelled up.  
Fuck, what kind of snake was that?  
“Jean, are you okay?”  
No, he wasn’t. His head hurt like a bitch, and his heart slammed against his chest.  
“Ugh.”  
“Jean, you sound hoarse.”  
“Jaeger, will you fuck off with-“  
He stopped. He was ashamed that he hadn’t recognized the voice before.  
Marco stood before him, whole and worried.  
“M-Marco? You’re alive?”  
Marco avoided his gaze.  
How was Marco….?  
Marco placed one hand on his nape.  
“I’m sorry but….I’m kind of glad.”  
Sorry?  
“Marco, what are you talking about?”  
Marco tried desperately to hold Jean as clutched his heart and dropped to his knees on the floor.  
Jean gasped for breath as his head and heart rioted against him. Pain brought tears to his eyes and clouded his view of Marco.  
“I didn’t think it would be so soon.”  
The venom raged inside him and attacked his nerves, pain springing up from anywhere and everywhere.  
Jean couldn’t do this. He couldn’t handle the pain and an illusion of his best friend, this was hell.  
Just make it stop.  
Marco crouched beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. It didn’t go through his shoulder this time and when it touched him, all his pain melted away.  
Jean clutched Marco to him and let the tears roll down his face.  
Marco was here.  
“I thought you were gone forever.”  
Marco held Jean and let his tears fall. He waited as the boy’s frame shook beneath him then pulled back. He wiped the tears off his face.  
“I had to go away for a little while, but I’m here now and I won’t leave again.”  
Marco rocked back to his feet and extended his hand to Jean.  
"He’s not breathing! Where is the fucking doctor?!"  
Eren had returned to HQ and found Jean sprawled on the floor. It didn’t take long to note the bite marks but they didn’t know if the snake was poisonous. Armin had gone for help while Mikasa, Eren, Sasha, and Connie waited by their friend’s side.  
"He’ll be fine."  
It was Christa. She walked over to Jean.  
“He’s-“  
Christa smoothed Jean’s eyes shut and faced the other.  
” He won’t be alone; he has company.”  
Jean looked up at Marco and his hand. Then this meant he was…dead?  
” Now, let’s go home Jean.”  
Home? That sounded nice. Trost lay in ruins but he could build a new home.  
"Yeah, let’s go home."


	11. K is for Kalura who was Shot in the Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Mentions and use of drugs, death, shooting

Kalura Jaeger hummed a tune as she prepped breakfast for her family. It was Sunday which meant Sunday breakfast spent together at the dining table and communicating. Every other day everybody had a place to go so she prepared their lunches for them as each of them left for school or work. There was always hustle and bustle in the house, and given her husband’s occupation as sole residing doctor, it was understandable. That didn’t, however, stop her from taking what measures she could for some family time.  
Creeeeak.  
Eren. That boy wouldn’t take no for an answer.  
“Eren! How many times do your father and I have to -”  
Grisha held one hand on the doorknob, tensed and turned.  
“Grisha?”  
Kalura placed one hand on her hip, the other wagging the wooden spatula she held at him.  
“Now I know you weren’t sneaking off. On Sunday morning. Before breakfast.”  
He grimaced at her tone and put on a smile as he walked up the stairs to his wife.  
She led her husband to the table then returned to her cooking.  
Eren and Mikasa arrived just as breakfast was finished and took their seats at the table.  
Kalura gave them all time to rub the sleepiness out of their eyes and clear out the cobwebs.  
“I was thinking that today we could-”  
“I have a patient to see this afternoon, sorry dear.”  
“Armin has this really cool book! He said Mikasa and I could go over to see.”  
She held in a sigh.  
Grisha glanced at his watch then gave Kalura, Eren, and Mikasa a kiss. He grabbed his briefcase from the corner and waved goodbye as he left.  
“He didn’t even finish his food…”  
A fork clattered against the plate and the chair dragged along the wood as Eren leaped from his seat.  
“I finished all my food! So I’m going, bye mom!”  
He ran out the door before she could do anything, followed by Mikasa who at least waved good bye to her.  
Kalura cleared the table with a sigh.  
One meal? Just one meal. That’s all I ask.  
Grisha slunk through the streets, briefcase pressed to his side and never out of his sight until he reached a large building.  
The guard recognized him as he walked up the steps and opened the gate.  
He nodded his thanks and continued on through double doors that wound around and dipped so much it was a marvel he didn’t have a headache. It always boggled him how his ‘patients’ managed to get here, but he supposed that when people want something enough, they won’t let anything get in their way.  
At the end of a long set of winding stairs, Grisha stood against the wall and waited.  
They came ten minutes late, their laughter arriving before they did.  
“Awful loud, aren’t we?”  
They clutched their heads then as if his comment alerted them to their levels.  
“Oi. We’re here, ain’t we? So where’s the stuff?”  
Grisha stepped closer.  
“Did you bring the money?”  
The tallest of them reached for Grisha’s suitcase. Grisha jerked it from his reach.  
“Did you bring the money?”  
The man clutched his head again.  
“You’re too damn loud, man.”  
Their clothes reeked of alcohol; they must have gotten drunk in place of the drug as he brewed more last night.  
“You’re well aware of how my business runs, if you don’t have the money then we don’t have business.”  
Grisha turned on his heel, and headed out of the building, his speed increased as they hurled insults and objects at him.  
Ah, yes. My wonderful ‘patients’.  
Kalura peeked out the window for the fifth time in the past ten minutes and watched the sun’s rays dance across the floor in its last hurrah. It would be dark soon and nobody was home yet. She shook her head; they never took her nerves into account.  
The curtains fell back into place as the doorbell rang.  
Ding dong.  
How odd….I wasn’t expecting any company.  
She cleaned her hands on her apron and headed over.  
Ding dong.  
“Hold on, I’m coming!”  
Ding dong.  
“I’ll be right there!”  
Ding dong.  
“Hello, how may I-”  
A stranger pulled her close to him and pressed the barrel of a gun to her head.  
“Say a word and I’ll pull the trigger.”  
She thought he meant not to scream, but her eyes widened as he marched her down to the basement. One of the men who was with him tossed Eren and Mikasa down onto the ground beside her. They weren’t moving.  
The other man bound her wrists and ankles, then gagged her before both of them retreated up the stairs.  
Click.  
The door was shut.  
Kalura drew as close to the children as she could and waited. Light breaths met her ear and relieved her.  
They were alive.  
But why were they after them? Her husband was a respectable doctor and even with Eren’s temper, she doubted he had made enemies with people of this kind. She only hoped that her husband was alive and safe, at least.  
Grisha snapped his briefcase shut and made his way home. All in all, it had been a very successful day. Usually his sales were impeded by addicts harassing him, but they disappeared. Where to he didn’t know, and frankly, he didn’t care.  
“Kalura, I’m home.”  
No answer. She must still be upset about this morning.  
No matter, he’d surprise her.  
He walked into the kitchen and found it empty. He tried each room one by one but still found nobody.  
Kalura wouldn’t leave him, would she? Their belongings were still in their rooms.  
Unless they just left…  
“Kalura? Kalura! Eren? Mikasa?”  
If this was a joke, it wasn’t amusing.  
“Hello?”  
He stopped at the basement stairs at the sound of something dropping. He rushed down the steps and jerked the door open. The lights flickered on and revealed his wife bound and gagged on the floor.  
He took one step then heard a click. One of the men from earlier stepped from the shadows and brought Kalura with him, gun pressed to her temple.  
“Hello, ‘Doctor’.”  
“What do you think you’re doing?”  
“Give us the stuff and they go free.”  
They?  
A groan came from the corner.  
Grisha identified Eren and Mikasa on the floor and started for them.  
The gun clicked a warning and he stopped.  
“I don’t have any more left.”  
“That’s okay. You’ve got your stuff right here. Make some more.”  
With his wife’s life on the line, he didn’t argue but made his way over to the equipment. He could poison them and they’d never know then decompose the bodies. They’d think they had their precious drug but in a matter of seconds they would be dead. He got to work immediately.  
They chuckled and made sick passes at his wife, something Grisha noted mentally and altered the drug’s contents.  
Several hours later, his concoction was almost finished. The men swarmed around him as he added the last touches. They hovered over his shoulder and watched closely as he added a few drops of a violet substance. It hit the rest of the mixture and it began to harden.  
“Ah, man. I can’t wait to get my hands on that.”  
Yes, that’s right. Go ahead and pine for what will be your demise.  
“I’d like to get my hands on that hot wife of his.”  
Just wait.  
“I’d like to run my-”  
“Eren.”  
It was the faintest sound, but it caught all of their attention.  
Eren was awake and charged the men with a blade in his hands.  
“Eren!”  
Bang.  
Mikasa hit the floor in Eren’s stead.  
“Mikasa!”  
He dropped to his knees and flipped his friend over. Red soaked through her dress on her chest where the bullet hole was. He growled and lunged.  
Bang! Bang!  
Grisha stood with the poison in his hands. It was ready now, they could have been fine.  
Eren landed at the leader’s feet who kicked him over to Grisha.  
He watched the life leave his son’s eyes as he stood above him, their ticket to safety in his hands.  
Dammit, Eren. Couldn’t you wait?  
He fought the anger in his voice.  
“Your drug is ready.”  
They snatched it from his hands and cackled with delirium.  
“Hey,” the leader addressed the man wielding the gun,” shoot the bitch, too.”  
“Oi, I thought we were going to have some fun wid her!”  
“Leave the doctor with nothing but his memories.”  
“Kalura!”  
Bang!  
He doubled over at the shot. Bastard aimed for a non-lethal location but it incapacitated him long enough to fire another shot.  
Blood and brain matter splattered onto the walls.  
Grisha grit his teeth and waited for the poison to take effect and took relish in their agonized screams as they clutched at their stomachs and clawed at their throats. He counted the thuds.  
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.  
Prolonged screams and then the last thud.  
Grisha took in everything. Mikasa and Eren lay in a pool of their own blood, and Kalura was a mess.  
He’d gotten them into this with that damn drug. He may not have taken it, but it had fucked up his life just as it had fucked up his customers.


	12. L is for Levi who Bled and Bled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death, blood loss
> 
> This is Ereri .3.

"Damn brat."  
The debris blistered and cut Levi’s hands as he dug through the rubble to unbury Eren. Tons of stone, wood, and other building materials kept the teenager from him.  
So filthy. Dust coated his clothes as it filled his lungs.  
He was supposed to be humanity’s hope? He’d slept through most of the earthquake. And now he was trapped under the rubble.  
Iron danced in his nose, he was drawing closer. His pace quickened at the sight of human flesh. He ignored the pain as he shoved away the rest of the rubble and pulled out the teenager.  
He wasn’t stupid. He knew better than to expect him to be alive. Levi told himself that the turmoil within himself was because he failed in his responsibility for the brat and nothing more.  
He held Eren in his arms; he wasn’t able to save him, he would bring his body back. He staggered through the mess to where his squad members were waiting.  
Blood streaked down his forehead and stained his cloak. It would take a lot of work to get the blood out. The brat caused him trouble even in death.  
Eren’s face, underneath the blood and mashed flesh was still angry. Angry and beautiful.  
Shitty brat. Making me think such things.  
He’d hardly known him, but then he’d known Eren longer than the rest of his squad and they had already warmed up to him.  
Petra shielded her eyes as the sun began to rise up. Heichou and Eren had been gone a while. Did they make it?  
Then Levi stepped into view, Eren’s body in his hands. He was covered in blood which Petra couldn’t tell if it was his or Eren’s. He approached her and handed her his body.  
"Is he?"  
Levi didn’t get a chance to answer; once Eren was in Petra’s hands, he collapsed.  
Erd, and Oluo rushed to help him stand and answered their questions. Trails of blood were everywhere - down his.forehead, his shoulder, hands, clumps of his hair matted with blood.  
"Hold on, Heichou!"  
He didn’t hear a thing they said. Instead, he scowled into the distance and muttered, ” Impatient brat,” then fell limp in their hands.


	13. M is for Marco who was Burned to a Crisp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS: Death, Fire

Marco was putting away the groceries when his phone buzzed. He put away the milk he was holding and opened the text message. It was from Jean.  
Hey r u busy?  
Not really, and he always had time for his best friend. He texted him back.  
No, I’m just finishing putting away some groceries. Did you have plans for something?  
The next text came after several minutes.  
Is it ok if I come over? I need to tell u something.  
What did he have to say that he couldn’t tell him now?  
It’s fine. :)  
Jean seemed nervous about something, whatever it was had to be serious. He put away the rest of the groceries and checked his phone to see another message.  
Be there in ten minutes.  
Honestly, what could it be that was troubling Jean? He flipped the keyboard open to text when the smell of smoke met his nose. He checked the oven, but it was off then all the rooms, nothing was on fire.  
People crying and shouting loved ones’ names came in from the window.  
Marco stuck his head out the window.  
“Hey, what’s going on?”  
One of the other apartment tenants shouted back, “Marco! The building’s on fire! The firefighters are preoccupied with another fire downtown. You’ve got to get out!”  
He nodded and started when he heard a girl in hysterics. He recognized her voice, his neighbor’s daughter. He followed her voice to their kitchen where she stood with her arms raised trying to grab her cat.  
“Marie! What are you doing here? Where are your parents?!”  
“Marco! Mr. Nums won’t get down. You have to get him; I can’t reach.”  
“Marie, “he turned her towards him, “let’s go.” He pulled her towards the door but she used her weight strategically to keep her in place.  
“Marie.”  
“They’re out and I won’t leave, Mr. Nums!”  
She jumped for her cat and knocked over a cup that clattered to the floor. The cat pressed itself against the wall and hissed.  
“Mr. Nums!”  
Stubborn as Ever.  
“Marie, I’ll make sure Mr. Nums gets out safe, okay?”  
He took his phone out from his pocket and placed it in her hands.  
“Take my phone and call your parents, okay? Let them know there was a fire but you’re safe, okay?”  
She stared at the phone in her hands then at her cat then to Marco.  
“Promise?”  
He smiled and completed the pinky promise.  
“Promise.”  
She hugged him then scampered off.  
Good. Now I can get her cat and we can go.  
“Mr. Nums, come here boy.”  
The cat glared disapproval, simply calling him wouldn’t work.  
He gave a quick scan before finding the cat treats. He took the box and shook it which caught the cat’s attention.  
Ears perked it meowed at him and watched as he drew the box down and away.  
“That’s right. Come on, kitty kitty. I won’t hurt you.”  
The cat leaped down and after the box. Marco bent to pick it up but it snatched the treats and darted off in the direction Marie had left.  
Ah, man Jean is going to freak.  
Something crackled then smoke billowed in.  
What?  
The ceiling burst apart and flames shot through the hole, flaring up in Marco’s face.  
Jean locked the door behind him as he headed out the door to Marco’s apartments. Each footstep was heavier than the next and he contemplated just forgetting it all and burying himself underneath the covers for the next ten years.  
That would certainly be less mortifying than his plans. Marco would hate him. He knew he would. Marco would hate him and he would never talk to him again and he would be alone. There was no other possibility, but he had to do it….or at least that’s what he kept telling himself as he closed the gap between their homes.  
Marco only lived a few blocks down, just past the convenience store, right where the billows of smoke rose up in the air. Wait, smoke?  
Fuck, is that coming from Marco’s apartment?  
Jean tore his phone out, dialing Marco’s number as he rushed down the street and turned the corner. The fire blazed against the night sky and had consumed half of the apartments. His heart sped up as he noticed the flames were raging brightest where Marco’s apartment would be.  
“Marco, answer your damn phone.”  
The phone rang six times before it picked up.  
“Marco! Thank fuck you’re-”  
“Daddy says I’m not supposed to say that word.”  
“Marco?”  
“Marco? No, this is Marie. And this is Mr. Nums.”  
He heard a disgruntled meow on the other side of the line. It was Marcos next door neighbor’s daughter and her cat.  
“Marie, why do you have Marco’s phone? Where is he?”  
“He got my kitty!”  
Jean was on the apartment grounds now just as the fire engines came in, men in yellow spilling out.  
That was one less worry.  
Marie stood over near the front office, holding her scowling cat.  
“Marie, are you alright?”  
She nodded and held her cat close.  
“I’m fine. And Mr. Nums is too, thanks to Marco.”  
Jean forced a smile.  
“That’s great. Now can you tell me where Marco is?”  
She glanced around then shrugged.  
“I’ll find him. Why don’t you give me Marco’s phone so I can get it back to him?”  
She obliged then ran off to her parents as they pulled in.  
Marco was nowhere to be seen. What if he was trapped inside the building? He ran towards the door then was jerked back by the collar.  
“Where are you going?!”  
“He’s trapped in there!”  
The person jerked Jean around, an angry face staring at him. Jean immediately jerked from his grip and started again, a tug on his arm.  
“He’s trapped in there and I need to get him!”  
Jean hit the ground hard as the figure tackled him to the floor, pinning him down.  
“Marco-”  
“Jaeger.”  
He wrestled under Eren’s grip, but he only shifted his position to keep Jean down.  
“Calm the fuck down, alright? Running into a burning building isn’t going to help anybody.”  
What the fuck was Jaeger’s problem?  
“Look, Marco isn’t that reckless. He’s probably comforting some old lady who’s losing her shit over family photos that got lost in the fire. He probably lost his shit, too. The last thing he needs is your ass getting burned in some fucking ‘heroic’ display.”  
“Get the fuck off me, Jaeger.”  
Jean shoved Eren off and rolled onto his side. He didn’t spring up this time, but clenched his fists tight.  
Jaeger better be right, Marco.  
Eren went back to his friends after he was certain Jean wouldn’t run back in and left Jean to his thoughts as he watched the firefighters get the hose working and bit by bit, extinguish the flames.  
Almost all the residents had left already, having found a place to stay the night with a few stragglers left behind. None of them resembled Marco.  
Jean waited and assured himself that Jaeger was right. Marco wasn’t the reckless kind, he never would get caught; he would have found a way out. Probably just helping some other little kid with their cat or some shit. Yeah, that was it.  
Jean’s muscles and mind relaxed. Marco Bodt was alive and safe and when he saw him again he was going to hug the shit out of him and finally fess up. Maybe the incident might warm him up to it, pun not intended.  
He had managed to convince himself that all was well when mentions of a body spread throughout the firefighters. He approached what looked to be the head of them.  
“You guys found a body?”  
“Yeah, but it’s burned so bad. We can’t make heads or tails of ‘em.”  
Somebody wheeled a body bag out and Jean’s heart took off much like his legs. He nearly slammed into the person pushing it.  
“I need to see who’s in the bag. I think I might know.”  
Please let me be wrong.  
The man would have denied it if not for the manic look in the boy’s eyes and their need to identify the body.  
“Well, alright.”  
He unzipped the black bag to the torso, but all Jean needed was for the zipper to pass the chin.  
Fuck.  
“Do you know who it is?”  
Jean could barely speak over the lump in his throat.  
“Marco Bodt. Apartment 104D. His parents live over in Trent Villa down the street.”  
He didn’t wait for the man to answer back; he brushed past him and wandered down the streets. When he finally got home, it was 3:00 in the morning. His parents sprung at him and snarled questions and demands but he ignored them and headed upstairs to his room.  
He stopped and stood in the middle of the room, exhausted but no sleep came. He expected Marco to chide him and steer him over to his bed and give him a stern frown and tell him to get some rest. Or to be there and let him just sob into his shoulder without any remarks. To make him feel like he wasn’t a loser. To flash that smile of his and make him question why he thought things wouldn’t be fine in the first place.  
But no, the jerk left him here. With his crappy ass family and without him in this fucking house. No goodbye, either.  
“Hey Marco, don’t you know I love you?”  
Of course he doesn’t. Because you never told him, dumbass.  
Jean heard the thud as his knees slammed into the ground though he didn’t feel it.  
Something buzzed in his pocket. He reached in and pulled it out. Marco’s phone. He didn’t know why he did it, but he opened the message.  
From: Mom  
Marco, honey? Are you okay? Your father and I saw the smoke coming from the apartments. Call me.  
It buzzed again.  
From: Dad  
Son, where are you? Call your mom.  
He laughed half-heartedly. Those poor souls didn’t know that their son died saving a cat.  
He went to put the phone away when something caught his eye. There were texts from Connie, Sasha, Ymir, and they all said the same thing.  
When are you going to tell him?  
Tell who what?  
He dug through the messages then he saw it. 66 drafts.  
What the fuck?  
He clicked it and the screen flooded with messages that tore at Jean’s heart. They were all addressed to him and were more or less the same message.  
Jean….I love you.  
I love you, Jean.  
Relax, okay? There’s nothing that could stop me from loving you.  
You mean the world to me.


	14. N is for Niles he was Pummeled by Fists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow okay so ummm this is hella old, so sorry;;  
> almost a year old whoa dang
> 
> CW: DEATH,MURDER, BEATINGS, ORPHANED CHILDREN?(does that count? well just in case)

Mikasa cursed Armin as he held her back. That man couldn’t hit Eren that way and live.

                Eren’s blood spread with each blow and with it increased Mikasa’s rage. She was fuming by the time Eren was handed over to the short man’s care.

                The crowd was dismissed and Mikasa rushed out of the room with Armin close behind.  She wasn’t in the mood for whatever lecture Armin would give her so she took random turns and twists.

                Mikasa triumphed a moment as she turned and found that Armin had lost track of her. She rounded another corner and stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

                It was the man from before. The one who wanted to dissect Eren and her. She scoffed at the man and continued on her way.

“He’s a monster.”

Mikasa’s foot hovered above the ground. What was that now?

“I can’t believe they let Levi take that Jaeger kid.”

Eren.

Mikasa urged herself to just keep walking. Whatever happened, just keep walking. That was Commander Niles, head of the Military Police and if she laid a hand on him…

What if they took it out on Eren?

“He’ll beat whatever brains the kid has out before we can get anything.”

                The words slithered in Mikasa’s ear and danced around her brain. She tried to drown them out with the click of her boots against the floor. They reached in, took control and wheeled her back to the door frame.

                Niles stood alone, muttering about monstrosities plaguing mankind. He mimicked Eren’s speech and gestures.

                Mikasa clenched and unclenched her fists.  _Don’t do it, Mikasa, He’s not worth it._

But he was attacking Eren.

A threat.

Niles turned with a start.

“What are you doing here?”

                This girl was the one who stood up for Eren Jaeger. The kid was already going, shouldn’t she be chasing after him?

“This is a restricted area.”

                They might be taking Eren away, but at least he wouldn’t become their science experiment in hopes to understand what Eren, himself, didn’t. She didn’t know just what they had in store for Eren with that little man, nor did she know too much about Commander Niles other than he was in charge of the military police.

Niles sneered,”A staring contest with me isn’t going to help that Jaeger kid.”

                Eren’s name coming from that man’s mouth repulsed her. She might not know any of those other things, but she knew one thing for sure: Commander Niles was a dead man.

                The first kick dislodged a few teeth and the second one knocked the air out of him. Niles caught the incoming fist with his forearm and dodged the returning leg; he didn’t let her keep the element of surprise for long.

Mikasa scowled and pressed harder, but he met her blow for blow.

               Only the top ten could get into the military police and as commander of them, Niles wouldn’t be an easy take down. Sweat formed on their brows. Attack and block. Niles, as her superior could fight back, but instead he played the defensive.

_He doesn’t want to fight._

                Mikasa did and she would use it to her advantage. She hooked her foot around the back of his left knee and he bucked; she took her chance. Her right fist connected with his jaw and she felt the impact ripple across it. She felt herself grin as her left fist knocked Niles on his back.

                Niles rolled onto his side; the air whipped against his back and accompanied the thud of her elbow. He swept his foot and rolled again, propping himself up.

                Mikasa was relentless. She went down but still pinned him and began a barrage of blows with his words echoing in her head.

Monstrosity.

Idiot.

Threat.

                The only threat here was Niles and he wasn’t posing much of one. His blood and groans filled the air as blow after blow connected. He felt something rupture inside of him and hissed, unable to make any intelligible sounds with his jaw which hung at an unnatural angle.

                She smirked as Nile’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. If you don’t fight, you can’t win. Mikasa got off of the commander, eager to go but as she turned, her smirk disappeared.

“….Papa?”

                A child that looked to be no older than five stood in the door frame. They peered around her to the beaten body behind her.

“Papa!”

They raced to his side and dropped to their knees.

“Papa! Papa!”

                Mikasa froze as the child shook their father’s body then screamed. How much had they seen? Had she killed that child’s father before them? Images of her mother falling to the floor in a puddle of blood rushed into her mind, the screams painting the scene more and more vividly.


End file.
